Los Angeles Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank is expected to receive a contract extension despite the team’s 6–16 start.
Plans for extensions involving Frank and his staff have been underway for some time, despite the season being derailed by injuries, roster instability, and an ongoing NBA investigation.
The team’s release of Chris Paul on Wednesday marked yet another setback in what has been a chaotic year.
Clippers officials stressed ownership’s preference for stability but called extension talks “premature.” One league source noted the deals “have been in the planning stages for a while. It hasn’t happened yet, but it will.”
Frank also publicly backed head coach Tyronn Lue, referring to him as “my partner” and “one hell of a coach,” and saying Lue would “continue to be the coach here for a long time.”
Amid their struggles, the team is also under league scrutiny over alleged salary-cap circumvention involving Kawhi Leonard and former sponsor Aspiration.
Frank summarized the state of play bluntly: “Right now we’re playing bad basketball on both ends. We’re a bad basketball team.”
Injuries have exacerbated the situation. Bradley Beal’s season ended on November 8 due to a hip injury, and Kawhi Leonard missed 10 games with a foot sprain during a 1–9 stretch. The Clippers finished November 2–13 and now sit ten games under .500.
Despite a top-10 payroll and one of the NBA’s oldest rosters, the Clippers rank just 19th in offense and 24th in defense. Without their 2026 first-round pick, there’s no incentive to bottom out.
Lue acknowledged the challenge, saying, “It’s been hard. I’ve never had a losing season (as a coach) and a few guys in the locker room never had losing seasons. It’s been tough trying to figure it out.”
Lawrence Frank To Sign Contract Extension With Clippers https://t.co/PslH0pBb2h
— RealGM (@RealGM) December 4, 2025
